Cuba! I can’t believe I got to go to Cuba! I’m sure I’m not alone – particularly among Americans – in having dreamt of going to Cuba from a young age.
I tried to keep an open mind for the trip – keeping my eyes wide open, if you will. The trip organizer warned me to expect a different standard. That time didn’t hold the same value as in America. That I might have to forego the basics I was used to. I’m not a luxury traveler, and the part I enjoy most is stepping out of my comfort zone, so I was unfazed and prepared. I did my homework. I read several articles, and books – both fiction and non. And I assumed (and probably not inaccurately) that the story of Cuba I was hearing, might be skewed. I knew no amount of reading would prepare me.
I went in as a wide eyed traveler, and in many ways Cuba lived up to my expectations. But, in many ways, it was the Cubans that surprised me.